Events on Aug 17
- 0682St. Leo II begins his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1180Yoritomo Minamoto leads uprising against Emperor Kiyomori Taira
- 1498Cardinal Borgia renounced his vows and office to marry a French princess
- 1544Imperial / English armies occupy Saint-Dizier France
- 1563King Charles IX of France (13) declared an adult
- 1577Peace of Bergerac: Political rights for Huguenots
- 1579Francois van Anjou visits English Queen Elizabeth I
- 1585Antwerp surrenders after 8 months siege by Duke of Parma
- 1717France, Russia and Prussia sign agreement
- 1743Sweden and Russia sign peace treaty
- 1787Jews are granted permission in Budapest Hungary to pray in groups
- 1788Losantville, OH (now Cincinnati) founded
- 1795Slave revolt at Knip plantation, Curacao
- 1796English beat Bataafs navy in Saldanha Bay
- 1808Napoleon asks King Louis for Holland brigade towards Spain
- 1827Dutch King Willem I / Pope Leo XII sign concord
- 1833Lou Gehrig breaks record by playing in his 1,308th straight game
- 1834Charles Darwins reaches top of Campana Chile
- 1835Solymon Merrick patents wrench
- 1836British parliament accept registration of birth / marriage / death
- 1836HMS Beagle / Charles Darwin leave South-America for last time
- 1846US fleet officer Robert F Stockton annexes California
- 18581st bank in Hawaii opens
- 18591st air mail (in a balloon) took off from Lafayette, Indiana
- 1862Confederate troops under Kirby Smith enter Kentucky
- 1863Federal batteries and ships attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina
- 1866Bathe and Prussia signs peace treaty
- 18691st international boat race (Thames River, Oxford beats Harvard)
- 18701st ascent of Mt Rainier, Washington
- 1870Mrs Esther Morris becomes 1st woman magistrate (South Pass, Wyoming)
Born on Aug 17
- 1586Johann V Andreae: German vicar / writer (Christenburg)
- 1686Nicola Antonio Porpora: Composer
- 1720Charles D J Eisen: French engraver / painter (Contes de La Fontaine)
- 1775Philippe Libon: Composer
- 1779Franz de Paula Roser: Composer
- 1811Johannes H Scholten: Dutch theologist (Free Will)
- 1817Joseph Baron Kervyn de Lettenhove: Belgian Internal Minister (1870-71)
- 1819James Henry Van Alen: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1886
- 1828George William Warren: Composer
- 1834Peter Benoit: Flemish composer / conductor (Leie / Rubens Cantata)
- 1839Hubert Platt Main: Composer
- 1839Thijs [Matthijs] Maris: Dutch painter / etcher
- 1840Wilfrid Scawen Blunt: England, United Kingdom -- Writer (Irish Land League)
- 1844Menelik II: King of Ethiopia (1896-1913)
- 1851Henry Drummond: Scottish geologist / evangelist
- 1856Violet Paget [Vernon Lee]: British author (Satan the master)
- 1870Frederick Russell: Developed 1st successful typhoid fever vaccine
- 1876Eric Drummond: 1st Secretary General of League of Nations (1919-33)
- 1876Henri G Winkelman: Dutch General / Supreme Commander / navy 1940
- 1880Leo Ascher: Composer
- 1882Samuel Goldwyn [Goldfish]: Movie producer (MGM)
- 1885Clara [G Meijer-]Wichmann: German anarchists / feminist (Wife and society)
- 1885Kurt Hiller: Writer
- 1887Charles I: Last Emperor of Austria-Hungary (1916-18)
- 1887Marcus Garvey: Began back-to-Africa movement among US blacks
- 1888Monty Wooley: NYC, New York -- Actor (Pied Piper, Man Who Came to Dinner)
- 1890Harry L Hopkins: US politician (Loan & Lease law)
- 1894Erik A Blomberg: Swedish art historian / poet / author (Jorden)
- 1894Johan Polet: Dutch sculptor
- 1896Henry P de Vries: Dutch painter / poet (Laws of the Americas)
Died on Aug 17
- 1464Nikolaus von Cusa: German Theologist / Mathematician / philosopher
- 1510Richard Empson: English treasurer, beheaded
- 1536Pietersz: Book publisher (Kersten Knight - on Index)
- 1553Charles III: Duke of Savoy
- 1635Francisco de Moncada: Spanish Earl of Osuna, dies at 48
- 1676Grimmelshausen: Writer
- 1681Nikon [Nikita Minin]: Patriarch of Russian-Orthodox church, dies at 76
- 1730Mauritius Vogt: Composer, dies at 61
- 1731Johann Augustin Kobelius: Composer, dies at 57
- 1777Giuseppe Scarlotti: Composer, dies at 54
- 1785Jonathan Trumbull: US patriot
- 1786Frederik II: King of Prussia (1740-86) / composer, dies at 74
- 1792Jan Jachym Kopriva: Composer, dies at 38
- 1804Barbara Hec: Organized 1st Methodist church in US
- 1850Jose Francisco de San Martin: South American revolutionary hero
- 1865Johann Nepomuk Poissl: Composer, dies at 82
- 1865Mosby Munroe Parsons: US Confederate General Major, dies in battle
- 1878Richard Upjohn: US architect
- 1880Ole Bull: Composer, dies at 70
- 1887Franz Commer: Composer, dies at 74
- 1888James Jameson: British nature investigator (Congo)
- 1889Ernst Franck: German Composer / conductor, dies at 42
- 1896Bridget Driscoll: 1st British to die in an auto-accident
- 1898Carl Johann Adam Zeller: Composer, dies at 56
- 1901Edmond Audran: Composer, dies at 61
- 1909Richard Hoffman: Composer, dies at 78
- 1914James Grierson: British General
- 1915Leo Frank: Lynched for raping 12 year old in Georgia
- 1924Pavel S "Paul" Urysohn: Russian mathematician, drowns at 26
- 1927Horace Alderman: United States -- Murderer, hanged
Historical events on August 18
- 1289Pope Nicolaus IV publishes degree "Supra montem"
- 1564Spanish King Philip II joins Council of Trente
- 1572King Navarra Henri de Bourbon marries Margaretha van Valois
- 1686Cassini reports seeing a satellite orbiting Venus
- 1698Russian Czar Peter the Great arrives in Zaandam
- 1700Swedish, English and Dutch army lands on Seeland, Denmark
- 1735Evening Post begins publishing (Boston, Massachusetts)
- 1769Gunpowder in Brescia Italy church explodes, killing 3,000
- 1795Curacao Governor De Veer sends miltia to stop rebellious slaves
- 1817Gloucester, Mass, newspapers tells of wild sea serpent seen offshore
- 1834Mt Vesuvius erupts
- 1835Last Pottawatomie Indians leave Chicago
- 18381st US marine expedition
- 1840Organization of American Society of Dental Surgeons founded (NY)
- 1858Netherlands and Japan sign trade agreement
- 1862Sioux Indians begin uprising in Minnesota (it is later crushed)
- 18646th day of battle at Deep Bottom Run, Virginia: Confederate assault
- 1864Petersburg Campaign-Battle of Weldon Railroad day 1 of 3 days
- 1868Pierre Janssan discovers helium in solar spectrum during eclipse
- 1870Battle at Gravelotte Privat: Prussia beat France, 32,000 casualties
- 18721st mail-order catalog issued by A M Ward
- 1886Carr Baker Neel and Samuel Neel win US Lawn Tennis Association doubles
- 1891Hurricane hits Martinique, about 700 die
- 1894Congress creates Bureau of Immigration
- 1896Adolph Ochs (39) buys New York Times
- 1914French troops under general Dubail occupy Sarrebourg
- 1914President Wilson issues "Proclamation of Neutrality"
- 1915Braves Field opens in Boston to see Braves beat Cards 3-1
- 1917Dutch Naval Air Force forms (MLD)
- 1919Anti-Cigarette League of America forms in Chicago Illinois
Born on August 18
- 0472Flavius Ricimer: General of the Western Roman Empire, kingmaker
- 1450Marko Marulic / Marulus / Splichanin / Pechinich: Croatian poet
- 1579Charlotte Flandrina van Nassau: Daughter of Willem I of Orange
- 1587Virginia Dare: 1st English child born in New World
- 1587Virginia Dare: 1st American born of English parents
- 1745Vaclav Josef Bartolomej Praupner: Composer
- 1750Antonio Salieri: Italy -- Composer (Tatare)
- 1769Alexandre Stievenard: Composer
- 1774Meriwether Lewis: Charlottsville, Virginia -- Captain (Lewis & Clark Expedition)
- 1778Fabian Gottlieb von Bellinghausen: 1st to circumnavigate Antarctica
- 1792John: 1st Earl Russell, British Whig Prime Minister (1846-52, 1865-66)
- 1805Josef Danhauser: Austrian painter (Mutterliebe)
- 1807Charles Francis Adams: (Union), died in 1886
- 1813Benjamin Alvord: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1884
- 1818William Farquhar Barry: Bvt Major General (Union Army), died in 1879
- 1823Willem J F Nuyens: Dutch Physician / RC historian
- 1834Marshall Field: Conway, Massachusetts -- Owner (Field Department Store)
- 1849Benjamin Louis Paul Godard: Composer
- 1856Charles Hutchison Gabriel: Composer
- 1856Jan Karol Gali: Composer
- 1871Johan J Arch: Graphic artist (wood cutter)
- 1873Leo Slezak: Austria -- Tenor / actor (Othello)
- 1873Otto Harbach: Songwriter (Smoke Gets in Your Eyes)
- 1875Johan E Elias: Historian (Amsterdam)
- 1878Fritz Brun: Composer
- 1881Hermann Karl Josef Zilcher: Composer
- 1882Eugeen Calleen: Flemish sculptor
- 1882Marcel Louis Auguste Samuel-Rousseau: Composer
- 1883Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel: French fashion designer (Chanel)
- 1887Nico J Polak: Dutch economist
Died on August 18
- 1227Genghis Khan: Mongol conqueror
- 1236Theodorus Van Celles: Monastery founder (Kruisheren)
- 1276Adrian V [Ottobono Fieschi]: Italian Pope (7 / 11-8 / 18 / 1276)
- 1503Alexander VI [Rodrigo de Borja]: Spanish Pope (1492-1503)
- 1559Paul IV [Giampietro Caraffa]: Pope (1555-59), dies at 83
- 1652Benjamin G Cuyp: Historical painter, dies at about 40
- 1765Frans I Stefanus: RC German Emperor (1745-65), dies at 56
- 1803James Beattie: Scottish Poet / philosopher (Essay on Truth), dies at 67
- 1811Johann Heinrich Zang: Composer, dies at 78
- 1840Antony CW Staring: Dutch patriot / Poet (Jaromir), dies at 73
- 1850H de Balzac: Writer, dies at 51
- 1853Peter Lichtenthal: Composer, dies at 73
- 1863Thomas Welsh: US Union Brigadier General (Antietam), dies at 39
- 1870Felix Salm-Salm: Prussian / US prince / Brigadier General, dies in battle
- 1894William Charles Levey: Composer, dies at 57
- 1896Frederick Nichols Crouch: Composer, dies at 88
- 1901Richard Kleinmichel: Composer, dies at 54
- 1907John Kerr: Physicist (magneto-optic Kerr-effect), dies at 82
- 1916Edward D Pain: English journalist (NY World), dies in battle at 36
- 1934Delilah L Beasley: US Author / columnist (Oakland Tribune), dies at 61
- 1942Erwin Schulhoff: Czech / Russian Composer / pianist, dies at 48
- 1943Hans Jeschonnek: German Air Force General / Chief of Staff, commits suicide
- 1949Paul J Mares: US jazz trumpetist / Composer (Tin Roof Blues), dies at 49
- 1950Julien Lahaut: Chairman Belgian Communist Party, murdered
- 1952Ralph Byrd: Actor (Dick Tracy TV Show), dies at 43
- 1957Wawrzyniec Jerzy Zulawski: Composer, dies at 41
- 1961Learned Hand: Chief judge of US court of Appeals, dies at 89
- 1961Leonhard Frank: Writer, dies at 78
- 1962Cleo Ridgely: Silent screen actress (I Remember Mama), dies at 68
- 1966Isaac Keesing: Dutch founder (System Keesing), dies at 80
Events on Aug 19
- 0440St. Sixtus III ends his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1071Battle at Manzikert: Seldjuken Sultan Alp Arslan beats Byzantine King
- 1099Crusaders beat Saracens in Battle of Ascalon
- 1263King James I of Argon censors Hebrew writing
- 1399King Richard II of England surrenders to his cousin Henry
- 1458Aenea Silvio Piccolomini chosen Pope Pius II
- 1477Burgundy and acquires Burgundian possessions in the Netherlands and France
- 1477Maximilian I, Son of Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III, weds Mary of
- 1493Maximilian I of Austria becomes Roman Catholic German Emperor
- 1561Mary Queen of Scots arrives in Leith Scotland to assume throne after spending 13 years in France
- 1587Sigismund III becomes King of Poland
- 1591French King Henri IV occupies Rouen
- 1627Prince Frederik Henry conquerors fort Groenlo
- 1691Battle at Szalankemen: Austrians beat Turks
- 16925 women executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts
- 1698Russian Czar Peter the Great begins term
- 1772Gustav III seizes effective control of Swedish government and restores full power of monarchy, which had been subordinate to parliament since 1720
- 1787W Herschel discovers Enceladus, a moon of Saturn
- 1791Benjamin Banneker published his 1st Almanac
- 1796Spain and France sign anti-English alliance
- 1812US warship Constitution defeats British warship Guerriere
- 1816Java again in Dutch hands
- 1821Failed liberal coup against French King Louis XVIII
- 1826Canada Co chartered to colonize Upper Canada (Ontario)
- 1836HMS Beagle anchors at Angra Azores
- 1849New York Herald reports gold discovery in California
- 1861Confederacy Congress allies with government of MI
- 18642nd day of battle at Globe Tavern, Virginia
- 18881st beauty contest (Spa, Belgium), 18 yr old West Indian wins
- 1891William Huggins describes astronomical application of spectrum
Born on Aug 19
- 1521Lodovico Guicciardini: Italian historian (Descrittione di Tutti)
- 1558Paulus Merula: Dutch lawyer / historian
- 1596Elisabeth Stuart: English Daughter of James I
- 1631John Dryden: 1st poet laureate of England (All for Love)
- 1646John Flamsteed: 1st astronomer royal of England
- 1686Antonio Tonelli: Composer
- 1689Samuel Richardson: English Novelist (Pamela)
- 1737Johann Georg Christoph Schetky: Composer
- 1743Marie Jeanne Becu comtesse du Barry: Last mistress of Louis XV
- 1756Anthony FRE Haersolte: Member of Executing Regime
- 1785Seth Thomas: Pioneer in mass production of clocks
- 1813William Henry Fry: Composer
- 1815John Porter McCown: Major General (Confederate Army), died in 1879
- 1816Julius PJA van Zuylen van Nyevelt: Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 1824Georg Goltermann: Composer
- 1831Stephen Gano Burbridge: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers)
- 1839Oskar Brefeld: German Botanist
- 1844Minna Canth: Finland -- Novelist / playwright (social evils)
- 1848Gustave Caillebotte: French shipbuilding design / painter (Rue de Paris)
- 1851Frans Schollaert: Belgian Premier (1908-11)
- 1858Edith Nesbit: England, United Kingdom -- Children books author (Railway Children)
- 1859Charles Comiskey: 1st basemen / manager (Chicago White Sox)
- 1859Hippolyte Delehaye: Flemish historian / hagiographer
- 1860John Kane: Scottish-born US primitivist painter (Self-Portrait)
- 1870Bernard Baruch: Financier / presidential adviser (Cold War)
- 1873Fred Stone: Longmont, Colorado -- Acrobat / Broadway actor (Alice Adams)
- 1885Elsie Ferguson: New York, United States -- Actress (Lie, Footlights, Scarlet Pages)
- 1885Werner Elert: German luthers theologist
- 1886Robert Heger: Composer
- 1889Arthur Waley: Sinologist, translator from Chinese and Japanese
Died on Aug 19
- 0440Sixtus III: Italian Pope (432-40)
- 0472Ricimer: Barbaars General
- 1493Frederick III of Innsbruck: German Emperor (1440-1493), dies at 77
- 1580Andrea Palladio: Architect / writer (Il Redentore, Venice), dies at 71
- 1601Michael the Brave: Ruler of Turkey
- 1650Abraham de Verwer: Painter, buried at about 55
- 1654Yom Tov Lipmann Heller: Rabbi / Author (Tosefot Yom Tov)
- 1719Karl H Freiherr von Canstein: German lawyer, dies at 52
- 1744Carlo Arrigoni: Composer, dies at 46
- 1753[Johann] Balthasar Neumann: German architect, dies at 66
- 1780Bernhard Haltenberger: Composer, dies at 32
- 1795Friedrich Hartmann Graf: Composer, dies at 67
- 1812Vincenzo Righini: Composer, dies at 56
- 1813Johann Carl Friedrich Rellstab: Composer, dies at 54
- 1813Josef Blazej Smrcek: Composer, dies at 61
- 1822Melchor Lopez Jimenez: Composer, dies at 62
- 1851Gioseffo Catrufo: Composer, dies at 80
- 1872Eugene-Prosper Prevost: Composer, dies at 63
- 1876George Smith: English assyriologist (script), dies at 36
- 1881Joseph Labitzky: Composer, dies at 79
- 1892Frantisek Zdenek Xavier Alois Skuhersky: Composer, dies at 62
- 1909Rembt THPLA of Boneval Faure: Lawyer / 1st-Member of parliament
- 1912Alfonse Hasselmans: Composer, dies at 67
- 1922Felipe Pedrell: Composer, dies at 81
- 1929Sergei P Diaghilev: Russia -- Dance master (Imperial Ballet), dies at 57
- 1944Henry J Wood: English conductor (My Life of Music, Proms), dies at 75
- 1947Ernst Laqueur: Dut chemist / psychologist (sexual hormones), dies at 67
- 1954Alcide de Gasperi: Italian Premier (1945..53), dies at 73
- 1958Antonius "Toon" Verhey: Violin cellist / conductor, dies at 63
- 1959Jacob Epstein: US / English Sculptor / painter, dies at 78